Effect of Minipuberty on Growth of External Genitalia in Healthy Full Term Male Babies Born in Tertiary Care Hospital Setting of Pakistan

Objective: To observe the increase in penile length, width and testicular volume in healthy term male neonates during the phase of minipuberty born at a tertiary care setup. Study Design: Prospective observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Neonatal Unit and Outpatient Department of Fatima Memorial Hospital Lahore, Pakistan from Jan to Dec 2023. Methodology: We included 300 neonates in the study through purposive sampling, who fulfilled the inclusion-exclusion criteria. Penile length, width and testicular volume were noted down within 48 hours of birth. Data was taken on a specially designed questionnaire. Parents were called along with the infants for follow up visit at the age of 06 months. Penile length was taken by conventional stretch method, width by Vernier calipers and testicular volume by orchidometer by the same researcher. Results: During the follow up we lost 52 cases. In the remaining 248 neonates, there was significant growth seen in neonatal weight, length and head circumference with p-value <0.001, each. Similarly, penile length, width and testicular volume were also increased at the end minipuberty phase with p-value <0.001, each. The correlation among neonatal length, weight, head circumference and penile length was significant with p-value <0.001. Conclusion: There is a significant increase in penile length, width and testicular volume in the first 6 months of life during the phase of minipuberty.